Spear the SU Leviathan

Feeble. That’s the only word to describe the paltry turnout for the motions on the SU website. Of a student population of 23,570 – only 1,425 even bothered to cast a vote; 13% of such votes were abstentions, the voters apparently being too comprehensively stumped to even proffer an opinion.

It would be easy to cite an apathetic student population – but who can blame them for their inertia given the range of soporific motions on offer? More library space? Hardly Das Kapital. Reviewing University health services? Hardly the Emancipation Proclamation.

Of a student population of 23,570 – only 1,425 even bothered to cast a vote

Trawling through the motions for prior years is none more exciting reading than the current cohort of petitions – unless the exquisitely inconsequential ‘Rethinking Waste on Campus’ motion causes your heart to skip a beat.

Yet the string of painfully dull and uncontroversial motions belies the staggering and insidious power they possess. With support from a fraction of the student population, these motions force the Sabbatical Officers to enact their measures, and throw the whole weight of the Union behind them.

The string of painfully dull and uncontroversial motions belies the staggering and insidious power they possess

Thus a small – but vocal and well organised coterie – could in practice hijack the SU, and effectively dictate policy.

Before we know it – a quietly posted motion, for example advocating brutal punishments for the trudging, somnambulant people who block entire paths for the rest of us – could easily accrue enough support to start on-campus waterboarding.

This is obviously an extreme – if not wholly undesirable – example of the terrible power of the student petition. This, however, is not an unrealistic and abstract notion. It is something that happens all too regularly in universities across the country.

This is obviously an extreme example of the terrible power of the student petition

One hears about it all too often – a small core of students spearheading a sleeper campaign with seemingly absurd consequences. The University of East Anglia famously banned sombreros – on the grounds that they are racist.

The University of Edinburgh Union outlawed the playing of Blurred Lines in any of its buildings – on the grounds that it is sexist. Whilst it is clear that there may be strong merit to both of these motions – the issue is that they were supported by a miniscule minority and had powerful consequences for the entire student body.

Student petitions are unrepresentative, undemocratic, and unwarrantedly potent

It is surely time to recognise that student petitions are unrepresentative, undemocratic, and unwarrantedly potent. Lacking proper scrutiny, and backed only by an active minority, the institution of student petitions must be restricted to limit the untrammelled strength of the SU Leviathan.

Matt Allen